Railways Minister Advocate Nurul Islam Sujan visited various rocks and stone sites, plain land and the Dahuk river sites at Bhajanpur under Tentulia upazila in Panchagarh on Tuesday afternoon. Hearing the news of arrival of the minister, hundreds of stone-labourers thronged at the site and demanded to continue procuring of stones using conventional methods.
After visiting the sites, Nurul Islam Sujan, who is also MP from Panchagarh-2 constituency, said that stone belonged to the Ministry of Mineral Resources and it will require permission to excavate and procure those. He assured the labourers to talk to the concerned ministry about their demand whenever he is back to Dhaka.
It is learnt, in Bhajanpur and Shalbahan areas of Tentulia upazila, some dishonest stone traders in collusion with local influential were excavating and collecting stones illegally using dredgers. However, the officials concerned of the Ministry of Environment intervened and stopped the excavations and collection of those rendering several hundred labourers and traders jobless.
Demanding restarting of the stone excavation, agitated labourers locked in a battle with police by sieging the road at Bhajanpur area on January 26, leaving one labourer dead and several policemen and labourers injured.
Police filed two cases in this connection when young men of surrounding 33 villages escaped their homes fearing police retaliation. The minister was accompanied, among others, during the visit by Deputy Commissioner of Panchgarh Sabina Yeasmin, Suiperintendent of Police( in charge) Naimul Hasan, UNO( inchrage) of Tentula of Masudul Haque, Officer in charge of Tentulia Police station Abu Sayed Chowdhury, President of Upazila AL Yeasin Ali Mondol.
